Social Round-Up: 8 April 2026

Welcome back to this week’s TEAM LEWIS Social Round-Up.

There’s always a few “hacks” floating around social each week. This time Instagram has decided to shut one down, LinkedIn wants you writing full-on thought leadership pieces, and Australia’s teen social media ban is… not exactly going to plan.

On top of that, Instagram is adding more scheduling tools, testing paid features, and X is still figuring out what version of itself it wants to be.

Let’s get into it 👇

Latest News

🧠 Instagram chief debunks popular engagement hack

Bad news if you’ve been resharing posts to Stories hoping for a reach boost. Adam Mosseri has confirmed it doesn’t work. Reposting your own content won’t meaningfully increase reach, mainly because Feed already has far more distribution potential than Stories.

It’s another reminder that most “Instagram hacks” are exactly that… myths. The real focus should be on understanding your audience and what’s actually resonating. The more interesting bit. Instagram is now considering letting users schedule Stories, which would be a pretty big shift for a format that’s always been positioned as more in-the-moment. 👉 Read More

📚 LinkedIn shares tips on using articles to boost engagement

LinkedIn is continuing its push into long-form content, sharing new tips on how articles can drive stronger engagement and visibility. Particularly as LinkedIn posts are now being widely referenced by AI chatbots.

The takeaway is pretty clear. Depth beats fluff. Longer, insight-led content, backed by data and expertise, is far more likely to perform and get picked up by AI tools. If you’re looking to build authority, newsletters, articles and consistent themes are where LinkedIn wants you playing. 👉 Read More

🚫 70% of Australian teens still accessing social media despite bans

Australia’s social media ban for under-16s has led to millions of accounts being removed or restricted. On paper, that sounds like a big win.

In reality, not so much. Around 70% of teens are still accessing social platforms, highlighting how easy it is to work around restrictions. The report suggests enforcement is the real challenge, and that digital literacy might be a more effective long-term solution than outright bans. 👉 Read More

⏱️ Instagram lets creators schedule Trial Reels

Instagram is adding scheduling to Trial Reels, giving creators more control over when their content is shown to non-followers.

Trial Reels have already been a bit of a growth hack, letting creators test content with new audiences before pushing it to their followers. Adding scheduling means you can now time those tests around peak engagement windows, making them even more useful for content experimentation and reach. 👉 Read More

💸 Instagram tests new ‘Instagram Plus’ subscription

Instagram is testing a new subscription tier called “Instagram Plus”, offering additional features like Story prioritisation, extended visibility, and more detailed insights.

It’s another step towards paid visibility and enhanced control for creators. But it does raise a few questions. If everyone can “spotlight” their Stories, who actually gets seen first? And if everything is extended, does anything feel urgent anymore? Either way, subscriptions are clearly becoming a bigger part of Meta’s playbook. 👉 Read More

📉 Questions remain over X’s long-term future

X is still facing ongoing challenges around revenue, user growth and brand safety, with ad income significantly down compared to pre-Musk levels.

While funding from xAI and SpaceX is keeping things afloat for now, the platform’s long-term direction is still unclear. Usage appears flat, competition from Threads is growing, and many advertisers remain cautious. It’s not going anywhere just yet… but it’s definitely still in a bit of an identity crisis. 👉 Read More

🔧 Quick Tip of the Week

If LinkedIn is pushing long-form and AI is pulling from it, it’s worth testing one proper, insight-led article this month. Think useful, specific, and actually worth reading. Not just a long post for the sake of it.

✨ Campaigns We Love ✨

🍫 KitKat theft turns into a marketing win

413,000 stolen KitKats somehow turns into a brand moment. The internet did its thing, Nestlé leaned in, and suddenly it’s less crisis, more content. 👉 Have a break